Latest news on Condolegal

January 17, 2018 - The notion of real estate brokerage should be better defined, to avoid confusion regarding the protection of the public. This is what Nadine Lindsay, President and Chief Executive Officer of “l’Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier” (Real Estate Regulatory Organization-OACIQ), believes.
Nadine Lindsay recently took position on this issue at the occasion of Bill 141 tabled in September 2017, by means of a brief presented to the National Assembly. It includes four recommendations to "better protect the public" during a real estate and hypothecary transaction.

January 12, 2018 - Smoking pot in one’s condo may disturb several co‑owners, if cannabis second-hand smoke migrates from your apartment to another. Lawyer emeritus and RGCQ's general secretary, Yves Joli-Coeur, foresees several difficult situations to manage in condos, when recreational purposes marijuana is officially legalized in the country.

December 9, 2017 - Ontario's recently introduced Protecting Co-Owners Act, 2015 provides, inter alia, mandatory training for co-ownership managers. As of January 30, 2018, they will be required to hold a license in good standing issued by CMRAO (the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario), otherwise they will no longer be able to offer their services to the syndicates of co-owners.

November 23, 2017 - Certain type of construction work carried out by volunteers will henceforth be allowed in Quebec under a new regulation supported by small and midsize enterprises. (SME). However, construction industry trade unions see it as a moonlighting opportunity.

October 31, 2017 - After conducting a co-ownership insurance consultation, from July 14 to August 29, the department of Finance is currently working on Bill 150, which provides significant changes in this field.
Compulsory co-owners insurance
As a first step, the Law will require that "each co-owners shall take out third person liability insurance “. The minimum compulsory amount will be determined by government regulation. In addition, the syndicates will have to make available to the co-owners a "sufficiently precise description of the private portions", so that the improvements that have been made therein are easily identifiable.

October 25, 2017 -- Unpaid condo fees worry the co-owners who end up being saddled with them, as the syndicate of co-owners' of Place St. Laurent in Rimouski is well aware .It had to resort to the Superior Court to claim its due.

October 11, 2017 - Condo fever has truly resumed in downtown Montreal. Several major projects are planned, including the Tour des Canadiens (Phase III), near the Bell Center.
Another sign of the bullish business climate in the borough, Broccolini announced last week, the construction of a 150 million project. The 628 Saint-Jacques, in the heart of Square Victoria. It will include 251 condominium units on 35 floors. Several other projects will soon be announced, as the lull observed over the last two years seems to be a thing of the past.

October 10, 2017 - The jingle is familiar: our collective dwellings may not well withstand the passage of time, because of "a deficit in terms of the built quality of real estate ", says lawyer emeritus Yves Joli-Coeur, also the secretary general of the RGCQ.
« It is reminiscent of road infrastructures. When we pass under a bridge, we sometimes wonder if it will fall down on us. Is this the case for co-ownership? In part, yes», added Yves Joli-Coeur. According to him, the situation in Quebec would be worse than elsewhere in the country.

September 29, 2017 - Condolegal.com recently announced that the Ontario government established a condominium authority, (Condominium Authority of Ontario -CAO). Among the new measures adopted, it will impose mandatory training for co-ownership directors under the Protecting Condominium Owners Act.
Over the next two months, the CAO will be proposing four director training on-line pilot projects, divided into four components:

September 26, 2017 - A recent Ontario judgment addressed a sensitive issue, namely the ability of a syndicate (in that province) to recover interest on unpaid common expenses (condo fees). The court also ruled on the reimbursement of fees resulting from legal proceedings by the unsuccessful party.